Links and Minifeatures 08 08 Wednesday

Here's something useful, with many properties locally worth less than their purchase price. If you're one of those who paid more than the property is now worth, you can have your property re-assessed downwards in value - if you file by September 15, 2007. I did this back in 1993, and it lowered my taxes for a couple years. They restored it to original purchase price, compounded, when property values went crazy in the late nineties, Of course. Nonetheless, my assessment now is a fraction of what comparable properties are selling for.



Of course, it's probably not a good idea to be telling the property assessment board one thing and a lender something else at the same time. Just saying.



Application For Changed Assessment - PDF Version

Application For Changed Assessment - Microsoft Word Version



If for some reason, one of the links doesn't work, here's the page I found it on: Assessment Appeals Board

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Iran sees U.S. plot to topple its leadership

An Iranian minister said he believed the United States had dropped the idea of attacking Iran but wanted to topple its leadership through what he called a "soft revolution".



Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, a cleric, said Iran's enemies had waged "psychological warfare" to prepare for military action against the Islamic Republic.

And the fact that your people have been oppressed for thirty years to the point that they hate your guts has nothing to do with it?



Oh, I'm sure if George Bush could topple the Iranian clerics with some little nudge, he'd do it. Failure to take advantage of such an opportunity would have anyone rational calling for impeachment. But it's going to take quite a shove to topple the Iranian Imams, and we'd have to sustain it for years. Neither the political concensus nor the will is there, and everyone in this country knows it. Which means that the Iranians are pretty much stuck doing their own heavy lifting.



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The air traffic mess from a passenger viewpoint and from an industry viewpoint



The critical point?

* Third, give commercial flights a higher priority than other system users to protect schedule integrity; the passengers and airlines that fund more than 90% of the costs of air traffic services deserve nothing less.

Industry has been wanting priority over other flights for decades, but AOPA has quite a lobby. Nonetheless, management has been known to accommodate industry. One guy I knew was called into the air traffic manager's office, yelled, at, and told, "Put the (commercial airliner) out first!"



"You mean, give them priority even though the other plane's been waiting longer?" This is contrary to the handbook and stated policy of the FAA, by the way.



"No, I didn't say to give him priority, but put him out first!"



This kind of speaking out of both sides of their mouth is one reason I'm glad I don't work for those bozos any longer. I actually think it's most reasonable to charge for landing and departure slots according to how impacted the airport is and how much time you take up. Industry would likely be willing to pay more for the privilege, which reduces to their customers paying, of course, but how far do we want to go?



My take is here.